Fiber forming apparatus



Oct. 19,1943. e. SLAYTER FIBER FORMING APPARATUS- Filed Feb. l, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Games filqyer; BY J M? 1.1. a. ATTORNEY Oct. 19, 1943. G. SLAYTER FIBER FORMING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 1, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Games Sa yei; WM ATTORNEY a MW Patented Oct. 19, 1943 2,332,274 FIBER FORMING APPARATUS Games Slayter, Newark Fiberglas C ar Coming of Delaw e Application February 1, 1941, Serial No.

Claims.

The present invention relates to fiber forming apparatus and particularly to mechanism for attenuating viscous glass streams.

protectively enclosing them and provides easy maintenance of the apparatus.

It is another object of the invention to provide driving members capable of rotating the members at high speeds and of tion and the vibration that would otherwise limit the speed of the attenuating members.

It is another object of the present invention to provide driving mechanism for the attenuating members that will be capable of high speed operation With a minimum of back-lash. The att'enuating rotors are driven in positive synchronism so that the teeth on coacting members move in accurate registry with the spaces on the other member. Drift of the members relative to each which all of the at Ohio, assignor to Owensorporation, a corporation tenuating rotor operating mechanism is substantially fully enclosed. Particles of glass are thereby excluded from the bearings and gears and the mechanism may be amply lubricated vigithout leakage of the lubricant onto the fibrous g ass.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a central vertical cross-sectional view of apparatus embodying the present invention, shown in connection with a bushing for feeding glass streams. a

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken in the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is asimilar view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view' on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view illustrating the intermeshing relation of the attenuating members.

The present embodiment of the invention comprises a platform I! of rectangular form consti- The rotors H, iii are orifices of the bushing the attenuating rotors. located beneath the outlet preferably one at each side of the vertical plane of the orifices, to receive between them the streams flowing from the bushing. Rotation of the rotors causes the teeth thereof to engage the streamsat opposite sides and bend them back and forth while applying tractive force to the streams to attenuate them into fibers. The fibers are either crimped or straight depending upon the temperature of the glass at the point of en gagement with the rotors, since if the glass is no longer plastic, the streams are bent back and forth but notpermanently deformed.

The fibers, a ter leaving the attenuating members, move downwardly in haphazard and intertangled relation through thecentral opening in the platformflfand are collected in the form of a mat on thesurface of a conveyor 28. The mat is then compacted by being passed under a pressure roller or in other suitable manner. The illustration of the fibers and streams in the drawings is more or less schematic since it is almost impossible accurately to depict the very small streams and the fibers in their flight to the coneyor.

A suitable blower 29 may be provided adjacent the lower end of the bushing and arranged to direct a blast of cooling gas onto thestreams flowing from the bushing. The bushing may be heated in suitable manner as by meansof electric current from a source connected with terminals 30 at opposite ends of the bushing.

The platform I! is preferably vertically adjustable to adjust the distance between the bushing and the attenuating rotors and thereby serve as one means for varying the temperature of the glass streams to form either crimped or straight fibers. For this purpose, the platform may be provided at the four corners thereof with hollow internally threaded bosses 33. Vertically disposed screws 34 are threaded through the bearings in the bosses and when rotated by suitable means act to raise or lower the platform.

The attenuating rotors l1, it are supportingly journaled by being each provided with stud shafts 45, 48 at their respective opposite ends, which extend through slots 41 in the inner walls of the housings I5, IS. The stud shafts of each of the attenuating members are journaled in bearings 48 49 respectively in the outer ends of arms ll, 52 located within the housing. The arms are clamped at their inner ends to rock shafts 53, 54 extending through both housings [5. II and across the space between the housings and joumaled in bearings 58 in the outer and inner walls of the housings.

The slots 41 in the inner walls of the standards are arcuate, each being described about the axis of one of the rock shafts as a center. Rotation of the rock shafts respectively in opposite directions causes movement of the attenuating members toward and from each other to move them into and out of coacting or meshing [relation and toward and from stream engaging position, with the stud shafts moving in the arcuate slots. The rock shafts are caused to move in consonance in opposite directions by means of meshing gears 58, 59 fixed to the shafts. One of the rock shafts, for instance, the shaft 54, extends outwardly from the wall of the housing where it has a lever 8| fixed thereon, which is provided with a handle 62 at its outer end. Angular movement of the lever causes rotation of the rock shafts to thereby move the attenuating members into and out of meshing relation.

Each of the arms SI, 52 is provided at its upper end with a contact face 83, these faces engaging each other when the attenuating rotors are in fully meshed relation, and acting as a stop for inward movement of the rotors. Outward movement of the rotors is limited by the outer ends of the arcuate slots.

The driving means for the attenuating rotors is enclosed within the housing and comprises pinions 65, 66 keyed to the ends of the respective stud shafts 45 of the rotors l l8- The pinions are in mesh respectively with gears 81, 68 keyed to sleeves B9, 10 rotatably joumaled on the rock shafts 53, 54. The gears 61, 88 are in intermeshing relation so that they and the pinions on the attenuating members rotate in unison.

One of the sleeves, is provided with a pinion 12 keyed thereto. The pinion I2 is in'meshing relation with a large driving gear .13 rotatively mounted on a drive shaft 14. The drive shaft is journaled at its ends in bearings 15 in the opposite walls of the housing IS. The shaft 14 has drive connection with the shaft 11 of an electric motor 18 mounted on the platform If. The connection between the motor shaft and the shaft 14 is in the form of a flattened end 19 on the motor shaft received in a similarly shaped recess in the end of the shaft".

Rotation of the gear 13 with the motor-driven shaft 14 causes high speed rotation of the pinion 12 and with it the sleeve 10 and the intermeshing gears 61 and 68. These gears by their meshing relation with each other and with the smaller pinions 65 and 56 cause synchronous rotation of the attenuating rotors at increased speed.

The pinions 65, 66 on the attenuating members each mesh with one of a pair of gears that are in intermeshing relation, so that the possibility for back-lash and play is only at three points. This drive prevents interference between the projections on the attenuating rotors and eliminates or holds to a. minimum the relative drift between the attenuating rotors. The teeth of one rotor are received centrally between the teeth of the other rotor so that there is free passage of the streams between the rotors without undue compression of the streams by the teeth.

A total of only six gears is employed to drive the two rotors, soarranged that the speed of the attenuating rotors is approximately eight times the speed of the electric motor. Vibration at this high speed is minimized by the small number of moving parts.

Various modifications may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for attenuating streams of molten glass, the combination of a pair of intermeshing parallelly disposed gear-shaped attenuating rotors provided with circumferentially spaced intermeshing projections and each provided with end journal portions, a rotatably supported rock shaft for each of said rotors in parallell relation therewith, a pair of arms on each of said rock shafts spaced apart a distance corresponding to the spacing of said journal portions, the arms of each pair being fixed at one of their ends to their associated rock shaft and provided at their outer ends with bearings for said journal portions for rotatably supporting each of said rotors in fixed spaced relation to its associated rock shaft, intermeshing gears fixed on said rock shafts to cause them to move angularly in opposite directions in consonance, and manual means for oscillating one of said rock shafts to cause movement of said attenuating rotors into and out of meshing relation.

2. In apparatus for attenuating streams of molten glass, the combination of a pair of parallelly disposed attenuating rotors provided with intermeshing substantially radial projections and each having end journal portions, a rotatably supported rock shaft for each of said rotors in for instance, the sleeve 10,

parallel relation therewith, a pair of arm on each of said rock shafts spaced apart a distance corresponding to the spacing of said journal portions, the arms of each pair being fixed at one of their ends to their associated rock shaft and provided at their outer ends with bearings for said ournal portions for rotatably supporting each rotor in fixed spaced relation to its associated rock shaft, intermeshing gears fixed on said rock shafts to cause them to move angularly in opposite directions in consonance, a hand lever on the other rock shaft to act as a stop for limiting movement of said rotor toward each other.

3. Apparatus for attenuating streams of molten glass, comprising in combination a pair of intermeshing attenuating rotors provided with substantially radially extending intermeshing projections, a rock shaft for each of said rotors rotatably supported in parallel relation therewith,

a pair of bearing'arms fixed to each of said rock,

tatably journaled on one of said rock shafts, and means for driving said gears.

4. Apparatus for attenuating streams of molten glass, comprising in combination a pair of intermeshing gear-shaped rotors for engaging streams of viscous glass and attenuating said streams. a. pair of rotatably mounted rock shafts each having spaced bearing arms fixed thereon adapted to support one of said rotors in spaced and with on said attenuating rotors.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a base, a pair of housings having inner walls and being fixed to said base and exon one of said rock shafts at the outside of one of said housings whereby said rock shafts may be oscillated to move said attenuating rotors into and out of coacting relation.

GAMES SLAYTER.

and a hand lever 

